True Love Is Blind
by glittery-snowflake
Summary: For 5 years,Lily Evans has disguised her true beauty to find a boy who will love her,not for what she looks like,but for who she is.Everyone knows James Potter can get any girl he wants,so what will happen when Sirius makes him go out with the 'Ugly'Lily?
1. Hidden

**TRUE LOVE IS BLIND**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Just the plot…

**A/N: I've finally found time to retouch this fanfiction. I started this quite a few years back, and obviously my writing style has changed A LOT. I changed quite a lot of this first chapter, and hope you guys like it!!**

* * *

**Chapter one: Hidden**

For Lily Evans, the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts signified a new year of hope, and quite possibly, another year of disappointment. She didn't know for sure why she still bothered to hope that her prince charming would come and sweep her off her feet when it had still not happened after 5 years, nor did she know what exactly it was that nonetheless convinced her to stick to her plans.

Lily grudgingly lifted her head off her pillow, her soft auburn hair falling gracefully at her shoulders. Pulling out a pair of baggy jeans and a large oversized T-shirt which she quickly threw over her head, she slowly made her way out of the warm, cozy bed.

All throughout her life, she had been called beautiful by various admirers. Some claiming that her sparkling emerald green eyes attracted them to her like a spell, while others praised her for her hair, body, lips, or skin. Not once, has anyone told her they loved her, not for what she looked like, but for who she is.

It was the first letter from Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that served as the first glint of inspiration. It was a time to start afresh, at a place where no one recognized her, surely she thought to herself, there must be one person who would genuinely love her…

Every morning, Lily said goodbye to the beautiful reflection that stared back at her in the mirror. She had always been naturally talented at Charms, so her daily transformation was a simple task for her. Unlike most girls, who tended to make themselves look as pretty as possible, Lily concentrated on hiding herself. Hiding the beauty that attracted boys to her – but all for the wrong reasons.

Her magnificent red hair was kept tied up, and transformed into a dull brown. Her lovely green eyes were disguised behind a pair of thick black-framed glasses. Her blood-red lips were colored a pale pink. Her soft, yet flawless and glowing skin was gone also, and instead it was dry and dull.

The girl that stared back, was simply unrecognizable.

Lily sighed, then walked out of the girls dormitory hoping that perhaps today, someone might make an effort to talk to her.

Anna had always been one of Lily's closest friends, even before coming to Hogwarts. But now, Anna was her one and only friend. She was the only one who knew Lily's secret, the secret that has been kept from the rest of the school. Anna of course was not extremely gorgeous, she had a cute face and a slightly rounded body. But next to Lily, she was still much prettier and definitely stood out more than Lily did as far as guys were concerned.

* * *

The Marauders, sat in the center of the Gryffindor table, being the center of attention as always.

Lily sat down next to them and rolled her eyes. Naturally, no one noticed.

It wasn't much of a surprise that the 4 good looking boys would have almost the entire Hogwarts female population swoon at their feet. James Potter, leader of the group was no doubt, one of the best looking guys in the school, and quite possible the country. His messy brown hair, and soothing chocolate eyes, was enough to melt any girl's heart.

Sirius Black, like James was undeniably good looking. His lustrous black hair that blew casually in the wind, along with his dark grey eyes that were filled with mischief were enough to gain him the reputation as one of the biggest players in the school.

Remus Lupin unlike the other three was sweet and sensible. He had light blonde hair, combed smoothly with dazzling hazel eyes to match. He was always calmer than the rest of the Marauders, more mysterious, yet just as charming.

Anna, couldn't help but smile at their presence. Lily saw this and nudged her. They had made a pact many years ago, that none of them shall ever be interested in the arrogant and immature. That is, the Marauders.

Peter Pettigrew was chubbier and much shorter than the rest. But simply being one of James, Sirius or Remus' best friends was enough to give him his share of admirers.

Lily was about to take a bite of her pancake when Sirius banged his fist on the table, shaking with laughter. A huge group of girls sitting beside them giggled and admired their _idols_.

The thought made Lily's stomach churn with disgust.

She attempted to continue with her breakfast.

A few girls holding hand in hand wriggled their way through the crowd around the table. James turned to look their way, nodded calmly and shot them a smile. In an instant, the girls turned red and ran out of the circle bubbling with happiness.

Lily's stomach churned once more. She had to admit however, to say that James Potter was good looking was definitely an understatement. His features were so perfect, in almost every single way. But as for why so many girls would go crazy for their attention? She had no idea.

To her all guys were the same. The same narrow minded people who would just never understand the phrase _'Beauty is skin deep'_.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sirius suddenly burst with laughter "Did you see his face when he started growing a tail? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA".

On the third churn of her stomach, Lily threw down her place in frustration. Their immaturity disgusted her. 'What a bunch of idiots, how can they possibly find something as low as that funny?' she muttered to Anna as she picked up her books and left the table.

Trust the Marauders to kill her appetite.

"So who are you planning to go out with this week?" Sirius asked James, taking no notice of Lily whatsoever.

James looked at a few girls sitting across at the Ravenclaw table. He grinned at them, almost urging them to come over. As anyone would have guessed, they practically skipped over to him in utter delight.

"Hey James!" said the girl in the middle. She wore a mini white singlet top and a mini skirt to go with it. "I'm Mandy".

James scanned her, up then down, a glint of satisfaction evident in his eyes. He turned to the rest of the Marauders who gave him approving nods. James turned back to face her, looking into her eyes "How would you like to Hogsmeade with me this weekend, Mandy?" he said, winking at her.

Mandy's eyes lit up almost instantly, "I'd love to!!" she exclaimed, bending down and kissing James on the cheek before she ran off to tell her friends what had just happened.

Sirius eyed James suspiciously, a slightly dissatisfaction in his eyes. "That was pretty quick," he said, turning over to Rachel his girlfriend for the past 2 years and kissed her passionately.

James and Sirius, players as they are, both have made commitments to their respective girlfriends. The girls didn't mind obviously. After all, they were the only ones who could rightfully claim one of the Marauders as their own. Rachel, for instance, knew that Sirius was committed to only one person – her, and this was more than enough for her.

James smiled at him with contentment. "It's just all to easy for me", he said in a joking tone.

"Too easy?!" Sirius answered back right away, "Well maybe I should find you someone harder then."

"Go ahead" James said coolly as he winked at another girl walking past. She quickened her pace as he did, blushing. "I bet you that there is not a single girl in this school I can't get."

Sirius smirked at his friend "Give me 2 days" he said. "I'll find you a girl. But no matter who she is, you have to make her fall head over heels for you."

It was hard to tell who was more confident. James simply laughed as if Sirius was being absurd. "Still too easy" he said once again with a smile "How long do I have to be with her for?"

There was a brief silence as Sirius paused and calculated his chances. He didn't want James to win a bet. "One month," he said finally, "And If you succeed, I'll pay you 20 galleons."

James thought for a split second about this. One month isn't that long. All he has to do is keep the girl satisfied for that period of time, and that's it.

"20 galleons if I succeed! Deal!"

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**A/N: I will post the next chapter soon. It's all written up obviously, so I just need to edit it. )**

**Please read and review and tell me how you like the new and improved posts! **

**(if you find any errors in spelling/grammer, please let me know and i'll fix it asap thanks!!)**


	2. Flutter

**TRUE LOVE IS BLIND**

**Disclaimer:** I am not JK Rowling so therefore I do not own any of the HP characters that have been used in this fanfic.

**A/N:** **This chapter is reuploaded and re-edited! Hope you guys like it better!! **

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**Chapter 2 : Flutter**

The next few days, Sirius was busy trying to find James the 'perfect girl'. He was determined not to let James win, meaning he had to find a girl who would make their one month relationship a living hell. For James, he did not need to look further than 1. Someone as unattractive as possible, and 2. Someone stubborn and hopefully short tempered. The very two things that James couldn't stand with girls.

It wasn't until he looked at his watch and realized once again that he was 15minutes late to class, that he began sprinting towards the transfiguration room.

"Mr. Black" Professor McGonagall shouted, nostrils flaring angrily. "You are late again!! 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor!"

"Sorry Professor!" He smiled apologetically, "I couldn't get away from the fans,"

Lily snorted in disbelief. By fans, he meant the swooning air headed girls of course.

"Hurry up and sit down," McGonagall screamed from the front of the classroom, "don't stand there holding up the rest of the class!".

Sirius straightened up straight away, and walked in, scanning the classroom for an empty seat. Almost all the girls straightened their necks hopefully, as if motioning him to sit next to them, or better yet, let him take their table while they sat on his lap.

He slowly made his way towards a small blonde girl sitting at the back corner.

"The seat next to Lily Evans is free Mr. Black. You may sit there".

Sirius stopped in his tracks and groaned. He made a 180 degree turn and walked towards the seat next to Lily, who looked up at his handsome face. She wanted to slap herself as she admired his good looks. She nonetheless nodded to him, simply acknowledging his presence.

Annoyed that he was forced into sitting next to a girl he took no physical interest in whatsoever, Sirius ignored her. He turned around to look at the girl at the back of the room once again, who quickly looked down when she saw him, turning slightly flushed.

The rest of the lesson continued in a similar manner. Every now and then a girl would shoot him flirtatious glances, ones which he graciously returned, sending them into their own little happy bubble. Professor McGonagall would shout at him, telling him to keep his eyes to himself, while James, Remus and Peter laughed hysterically.

After 30 more minutes, the fact that Lily still hadn't bothered to speak a word to him bothered him greatly. He wasn't used to being ignored. Especially not by girls.

Sirius turned to Lily, "Lily Evans, right?" he asked, smiling calmly. "I don't think I've seen you around before…"

Lily turned her head giving him a cold stare "Well obviously you wouldn't have noticed me around", still staring at him coldly, "I'm not attractive enough to deserve the honorable attention of the great Marauders", she finished sarcastically, before she turned back to writing her paper.

Sirius pretended to look offended. Lily did not bother looking up. "Do you have something against us Lily?" he asked concerned. No girl has ever spoken to him this way before.

Still, Lily did not look up. But her slight laugh from under her breath was enough to confirm to Sirius that she did not like the Marauders a single bit.

It was then, that a thought suddenly crossed Sirius's mind.

_The bet with James… _

He looked around for James. Who was sitting between Remus and Peter at the back of the room, obviously entertained by something at the back of Sam Miller's chair.

"Everyone you are to practice this next task with the person sitting next to you." Professor McGonagall ordered. "I want you to take you wand, point it at the feather and say '_transtuli__'_

The class watched in amazement as the little white feather on the Professor's desk turned magically into a mouse. "Now its your turn, go on"

Sirius watched as James and Remus turned the feather into a mouse with ease. He then looked over a Rachel who was having huge problems with hers. Her feather just flew up high into the air, then fall swiftly down onto the table again. He the looked over at the girls in-front of him. Clare Rolland who was having no problems with her feather at all until she saw Sirius look at her, pointed her wand at her friend Kathy and set her hair on fire.

Sirius couldn't help but laugh.

Clare was highly embarrassed and turned almost purple. Sirius felt an elbow nudging at his arm.

"What?" he said suddenly.

"Are you going to practice this spell or are you too busy checking out the girl in front of us?" Lily asked him impatiently. It was bad enough she was stuck with someone who was unwilling to cooperate, let alone he was one of the Marauders.

Sirius felt that for once, he had nothing to say. "You go first," he said finally, "I wasn't listening."

Lily brushed her hair out of the way, picked up her wand and pointed it at the feather. "_transtuli_". The feather transformed easily into a mouse. It ran off the edge of the table and collapsed as it hit the floor. "Now its your turn." Lily said as she picked up the mouse, "Don't make a fool out of yourself by the way and point your wand at it properly."

Sirius let out another disbelieving laugh. _Who did this girl think she was? Telling me what to do? _He picked up his wand and pointed it at his feather. He swallowed a gulp of saliva before muttering the word "_transtuli_".

A blue-silvery spark shot out from his wand. Smoke filled the air in front of him. By the time the smoke had cleared he had realized his big mistake. Instead of turning the feather into a mouse, he had turned it into a cat.

"Oops"

Professor McGonagall along with the rest of the class watched as the cat pounced onto the tables, going on a huge killing spree. Lily shook her head. "I told you not to make a fool out of yourself", she said before sitting back down in her seat, smiling contently. Sirius glared back at her, while the rest of the Marauders snickered in amusement. McGonagall was literally fuming with anger "B..B..Black T..t…ten p..p..points from Gryffindor!"

Sirius was silent throughout the entire lesson after that.

* * *

That night at the Dormitory James, Remus and Peter was still laughing un-controllably at what had happened earlier in the day.

"Shut up, both of you" Sirius almost sulked. He had been agitated enough with Lily already.

"Oh come on Padfoot, its not that bad, I'm sure the girls would still love you!" James mocked as he stifled a laugh.

Sirius chose to ignore him. "By the way," he said trying to change the topic, "I've thought of the perfect girl for you."

James stopped laughing immediately. His eyes waiting eagerly. "You have?!" He asked curiously "Who is she?"

Sirius smiled, almost contemptuously before answering. "The girl I sat next to this morning. Lily Evans."

James's smile immediately faded away as he chuckled with disbelief. "No way in hell!" he said falling freely onto his bed.

Peter let out a loud snort.

Sirius continued to smile, obviously satisfied with himself "Yes way!" he corrected. "Either that or you lose the bet, _and _20 galleons."

James looked at Sirius. Then turned to look at Remus, who looked at Sirius, who continued to look at James. If it was a bet with Sirius, then he was just as stubborn not to lose to him.

_One month isn't that long. _He thought to himself. After all, he was James Potter.

"Alright!" he said excitedly, "I accept your challenge as stupid and hard as it is. I'll do it. But in one month, at the Autumn Dance, I dump her, and you can get your 20 galleons ready for me."

James and Sirius both looked at each other, both quite confident, and satisfied, believing that in the end, they would be 20 galleons richer.

Remus's smile had faded. "In one month, it's the full moon again. It means I miss out on the Dance" he said rather ashamed.

"It's alright, you won't miss a thing" James reassured him, "The dance starts at 6, you don't transform until 9. We still have time. I'll just dump her before 9, and besides I want you to see me winning that 20 galleons!" James said as he watched a smile re-appeared on Remus's face.

"Tomorrow morning when she sits down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, you ask her out." Sirius continued, shoving a sugar quill into his mouth.

At that moment Kate, a beautiful Gryffindor walked into their room. "Ask who out?" she said as she walked sat on James's lap. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly on his cheek. James bought his lips to hers.

"Didn't I tell you not to sneak into our dorm too much?" he said brushing her hair behind her ears, "I don't want you getting into trouble because of me."

Kate rested her head against James's chest. "But you're worth it, even if I get into trouble," she said softly, "So, who are you asking out tomorrow?"

"Lily Evans," Peter answered before James could.

Kate immediately sat up, and stood from James' lap. "You promised that you wouldn't be dating for fun anymore!" she said, sounding disappointed. "And why Lily Evans of all people? She's not even pretty! What are all the other girls going to say when they find out? James Potter of all people dating Lily. I thought you had better taste than that!!"

James pulled Kate onto his lap once again and gave Kate another kiss. "It's only for one month," he said calmly, "Sirius is paying me 20 galleons if I succeed." James told her as Kate's disappointment slowly faded away.

"Fine" she said as she unraveled her arms from James's neck. "But no more that a month!! And you have to promise she'll be the last date you have!" Kate added before she then turned around and walked out of the boy's dormitory.

* * *

The marauders watched as Lily approached the Gryffindor table carrying 4 thick textbooks in her hands. Seeing the marauders at the center of the table once again, she sat in the empty seat furthest away from them.

_There's no way I'm letting them spoil another breakfast for me. _

"Well, here's your chance" Sirius informed James, who seemed to be analyzing Lily seriously.

James slowly got up and out of his seat, ruffled his already messy hair and walked over to Lily. She was about to sit down when James pulled a chair out for her.

Lily eyed him suspiciously. "Thanks" she mumbled, as she sat down.

No problem". He smiled, staring into her eyes.

Lily felt her heart flinch as she smiled shyly back at him. His _smile _she thought to herself, was so _amazing. _

It wasn't until she heard James cough, that she realized she had been staring. She sat up straighter, looking flushed and embarrassed by her actions. _What am I thinking? He's James Potter. _

"So ah" James started, "You're Lily Evans, aren't you?"

"Yeah I am" Lily answered back, not lifting her head up at all. Despite practically all eyes in the hall was now on her, with girls glaring jealously in her direction, James's sudden interest in her did not flatter Lily a single bit.

James turned to look at Sirius who was clearly enjoying the show. So was Peter and Remus, who took a sip of pumpkin juice while they were waiting. Stunned by Lily's simple response, James cleared his throat once again.

"Lily," he said quietly, "Will you go out with me tonight?"

Lily decided that she probably had to look at him now. James had a serious expression on, much unlike the flirtatious ones he normally has as he's asking various other girls out. Again, Lily saw this as all the more ridiculous and amusing.

"No, Potter." she chuckled sarcastically. "I'm definitely not going out with you."

James was taken aback at this answer. Lily grinned, knowing that it was perhaps the first time he had ever been rejected in his life. A few girls who overheard this conversation giggled quietly, but a stare from James soon shut them up. Sirius, Peter and Remus sitting opposite them, was now laughing, not even bothering to hide their hysterics. James however, still managed to smile calmly at back at Lily.

"Well," he said, his voice beautifully smooth and deep "You do know I'm not going to give up on you like this". He winked before walking out of the hall.

It was the first time in 5 years that Lily felt her heart flutter.

* * *

**A/N: As you may have realised, I've deleted the next few chapters, but don't worry! They will be up shortly!**

**Please read/review and tell me what you think of this edited version! (if you find any spelling errors/grammar mistakes please review and tell me also!) **

**Thanks for reading and hope you guys enjoyed it )**


	3. Chance

**True Love is Blind **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters. Just the plot.

**A/N: **A big thank you to **KaitsSlytherin** and** Lady Knight Keladry** who pointed out a few of the mistakes I made in the previous chapters. I fixed them straight away )

Also thanks to everyone who reviewed!! **shetlandlace, Kira2667, Hoeun, angelps7, MoodyMoony241, greenfly and carrebear14, Lia-The-True-Gryffindor376, mandii, Edward Cullen08, summersgirl2526 and offramp**!!

I kept my promise this time! I _said _the next chapter would be up shortly didn't I? :P

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: Chance **

James threw another pillow at Sirius and Remus, who still couldn't seem to get over the fact that Lily "_rejected" _him.

It had been going on for the past 3 hours, and the laughter still hadn't died down.

"Don't be too happy too soon" James warned, "I'm not giving up on her so easily,"

Sirius looked as if he didn't believe him. "I guess it's safe to tell you this now," Sirius started, "Do you know why I thought Lily was perfect for this bet? There's more reason to it than the fact that she's not the type you'd normally go for."

A confused expression crept up on James's face. "It's because she _despises _us." Sirius said with a sleep smile. He found the whole idea that someone would hate the _Marauders_ hilariously entertaining.

"Why?" James asked quietly, obviously perplexed.

He had never met anyone like Lily before, she definitely wasn't pretty nor was she too easy to get along with, but still something about her managed to grasp hold of James's full attention.

"I have no idea." Sirius replied, "So basically James, you don't stand a chance this time", he continued to tease.

It was then that Remus spoke, a hint of worry in his voice. "Obviously Lily's very different from the girls you're used to being around, James."

Sirius looked up and nodded in agreement.

"So if you want to win her heart, you have to approach her differently too. Take it slow, and try again tomorrow." He finished before returning to his normal carefree self.

James stared back at Remus grinning slightly. "You know," he said standing up from his bed, "In the end though, you're still going to owe me. Not the other way round."

Sirius was about to protest, when James walked out of the room.

* * *

The Gryffindor table, in the morning was where all the action occurred. Breakfast was equivalent to entertainment for most Hogwarts students, as it was usually the time when most of the girls would do something highly embarrassing in an attempt to impress the Marauders, or a time where pranks were performed, often resulting in a few laughs from the rest of the school.

But this morning, it was different. James Potter was strangely irresponsive to the girls who attempted to smile flirtatiously at him.

Today, he promised himself was the day he needed to concentrate on Lily. Just Lily.

He was _not _going to lose to Sirius, especially when Sirius was so confident that he would.

He immediately spotted Lily as she walked hurriedly down the hall with her friend Anna and sat at the end of the long Gryffindor table.

Lily was always much easier to spot than every other girl. Her dark hair was always in a messy bun, her think framed glasses made her stand out noticeably well amongst everyone else, but most of all, her clothes always looked a few sizes too big.

James walked over and sat casually next to her. The Hall was quiet once again, as all eyes began to shift towards their direction. Even Kate, along with her friends turned to watch. Kate blew James a kiss which he gladly accepted, before reassembling his composure and turned serenely to face Lily.

"Good morning, Lily." he said calmly once again. His voice just as attractive as the rest of him. "I was hoping you'd give me another chance today." He shot her a warm smile.

Lily ignored him and continued eating. From the corner of her eyes, Lily could see his smile fade slightly.

"I don't know what exactly I've done to offend you, but just so you know, I'm very bothered by it," he continued, "I…don't want you to hate me Lily."

He said it with so much sincerity, that Lily almost felt ashamed.

She ignored him nonetheless, hoping that he would get the message and leave her alone.

"Tell me what it is that you hate about me" he sounded like he was pleading with her, as if he truly didn't know.

Lily contemplated whether to continue ignoring him. But decided against it as he opened his mouth, about to speak again.

"Potter," she said, staring coldly into his eyes, "I hate almost _everything_ about you!" she said shaking from anger, "You act like you're so great, going out with girls then breaking up with them a week later. You _think _you're so wonderful and that everyone is in love with you. You're so overly arrogant and seem to think I'm like everyone else, that _I _would also fall into your pathetic trap and agree to go out with you. But you know what Potter? I'm not like them. I don't worship you at all. I don't _want _to have anything to do with a selfish, heartless jerk like you. So if you don't mind, please don't make me throw up my food again. "

She had finally said it. The words she kept to herself for so long were finally out in the open. And even though she was shaking so hard with fear and anger, she felt relieved. She continued to stare at James' with cold, tense eyes, half expecting him to stun her or at least slap her across her face.

But he remained calm, staring deeply into her emerald eyes. The hall was almost dead silent. Lily could hear nothing, but the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

"Lily," he said, breaking the deafening silence, she could feel all eyes on the two of us, all mouths open in shock, "I know that you are different." James spoke, smiling at her.

It was as if someone had used the calming charm on her. All the anger and hatred built within Lily disappeared in an instant with his soft voice and warm smile.

_Why was he still talking to me? Why hasn't he slapped me and walked out of the hall? _

It was another few seconds before James Potter spoke again, "Why do you always do this Lily?" he asked, "Locking yourself away from everyone else, not allowing them to understand you. You hate it when people judge you without knowing you at all don't you?"

She felt her head spin at how true his words were. He was right. She didn't have the right to judge him like this. Lily opened her mouth to say something "I…"

James had cut her off again. "You don't understand anything about me. Yet you insulted me like you know me so well," he said still not looking away from her eyes, "do you make these assumptions based on what you see didn't you?" he paused, "But have you ever even _tried_ to get to know me? The _real _me?"

For the first time, Lily saw hurt in his eyes.

It was the exactly words she wanted to voice to everyone else. How many people in this school had ever tried to get to know her these last 5 years?

The _real_ her_. _

She hated everyone because of it, never giving her the chance to be close to them, yet wasn't she doing the same to James? Being a hypocrite and judging him entirely by his looks and the way that he presents himself. It seemed to her that at that very moment in time, the one person she hated the most, was in fact herself.

Lily felt tears sting her eyes. "James…I…" her said softly, her voice weak, "I'm… really sorry…" she said, fighting back her tears. "I was way out of line."

It was the first time in 5 years, that she had ever felt this combination of emotion. Guilt, regret, relief, and happiness. "I shouldn't have said those things.. without ever giving you a chance…I'm sorry"

James looked away for a split second before turning to face her again.

"I won't forgive you though…" he said, his face serious.

Lily looked up, her throat constricting even tighter than before. A single tear escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheek.

James lifted his hand, and wiped it away. As Lily flushed with his touch. As he saw this, his warm smile returned to his face. "I won't forgive you…" he said again. "…Unless you promise you'll give me the chance I deserve."

The words came out like words of relief. She couldn't help but laugh up at this boy, who up until a few moments ago she hated with a burning passion. Perhaps, she was wrong about him all along.

"Okay fine, Potter," she said beaming up at his soft smile, "I'll give you a chance."

Lily quickly blinked away the last traces of her tears, turned around and smiled at Anna, who was now looking at her with a shocked expression. She picked up her textbooks and made her way to the exit.

"Hey Lily!" James's voice called out once again.

She turned her head back to find him grinning affably at her. "And also" he said, "You really have to drop the _Potter."_

It was the second time in two days.

James Potter had made her stomach flutter.

"Bye _James,_" she called out before she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

**A/N: And so Lily's finally given into James's charm Like it? Hate it?? Leave a review and tell me what you think!  
(If you find any mistakes, please tell me also! I'd really appreciate it )**


	4. Flight

**TRUE LOVE IS BLIND**

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine, they belong to the one and only – JK Rowling.

**A/N: I AM ON FIRE! Updating like crazy!**_Love is like a pack of cards,  
__A heart to love him;  
A diamond to marry him;  
A club to kill him; and  
A spade to bury him._

That definitely gave me a few laughs :D:D:D

SO YES, glittery-snowflake is proud to announce that she has found 2 extremely talented and wonderful Beta-readers!! Thank you so much **Wendice** and **sweetstrawberry211** _(who by the way is also an author on this site – be sure to check out her stories if you're looking for something light and humorous to read!)._

So grammatical errors and/or spelling errors _hopefully_ won't exist anymore. )

A few reviewers commented that Lily _**gave in too quickly.**  
_I know it's slightly out of character for her, but you have to understand that she _has_ been waiting for this very moment for **5 years**, painfully disguising herself everyday just to hear someone deliver that exact speech to her. So when James was able to voice those very words to her, asking to understand her and get to know her, its only natural that she would give in to him, and at the same time giving herself a chance to know _him_.

Hope it clears things up for you guys!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed:  
**incompetent.twitch  
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**Chapter 4: Flight**

Without a doubt, all eyes were definitely on Lily as she walked out of the hall. Everyone, in particular Sirius did little to hide their looks of horror. Not only had James Potter asked Lily out for the _second _time, Lily had also agreed.

It took a few moments before the silent hall broke into loud chatter; every single person turned to their friends, discussing the scene they had just witnessed..

"How the _bloody_ hell did you do that?" Sirius asked with his mouth wide open. He still hadn't completely comprehended the situation.

James sat down at the table, a smile evident on his near perfect features. "I told you didn't I?" he said, "Everything is just too easy for me".

Sirius was silent, only raising an eyebrow.

"If you really want to know," James started, "It was really quite simple."

He turned to Anna sitting at the far end of the table next to Lily's now empty seat and winked. "I didn't know her too well, so I just asked her friend Anna for some help. _She _unlike Lily was very eager to see me." He looked at Anna briefly again, and she looked down, blushing.

Seeing the confused looks on his friends' faces, James let out a small chuckle. "She told me Lily had a thing for guys who took time to understand her, someone who wanted to get to know the real her. It was all very easy once I found that out." He said, his tone light and dismissive. "I just had to come up with some corny sentences to make her think I really cared about understanding her better, and it was all pretty much down hill from there, as you all saw." He finished, feeling extremely proud of himself.

Remus looked concerned as his eyes traced its way to the door where Lily had exited a few minutes earlier, while Sirius and Peter both let out sighs of relief.

"Thank God," Sirius said lightheartedly. "I thought you really meant what you said there, I was starting to worry that you were turning into a decent person!"

James laughed and smacked Sirius playfully on the head. "I _am _a decent person. Unlike you."

Remus turned back to the rest of the marauders with a serious face. "What are you planning to do now?"

Peter edged closer to listen to James' marvelous plans. "I'm sure I'll come up with something." James said, shoving a sugar-pumpkin cube into his mouth.

* * *

Lily's normally quiet dorm for two was currently significantly noisier than usual thanks to Anna's incessant ranting.

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it!"

Lily rolled her eyes and tried harder to concentrate on her book. She was back to her usual self for now, her auburn hair flowing gracefully past her shoulders, her rosy cheeks glowing against her flawless skin.

"Lily!!" Anna squealed for the tenth time that hour. "Since James asked you out, which obviously shows he's interested in _you _not your _looks, _does that mean you won't have to go around disguising yourself anymore?!" she asked, sounding hopeful.

Lily sighed and put down her book. "Don't be silly Anna. Just because he asked me out doesn't mean he's interested in who I am_. _maybe he's just interested in me because I'm not interested in him, maybe he's interested in me because I'm ugly, or maybe even because he's bored of reading through his _Hogwarts: A history _textbook. Who knows."

Anna groaned. "You're just overanalyzing things Lily." she said, sitting on the bed next to her friend. "How much longer does it have to be like this? I'm so sick of being in _disguise."_

"It's not _you _that's in disguise, _you _still look absolutely gorgeous." Lily said, putting a comforting arm around her friend. 'Anna – 'she started before a knock at the door made her flinch in surprise.

"Lily-"

It didn't take her long to guess who it was.

"Are you in there?"

A sudden wave of apprehension washed over her.

"What is he _doing _here at _this_ time of night?" Lily whispered to Anna in frustration.

The look on Anna's face told her that she didn't know either. "Try to keep him at the door for as long as possible, actually no. Try to shoo him away!" Lily called out before grabbing 2 towels, a wand, and her glasses, running into the bathroom, and slamming the door closed behind her.

The knock came once again, this time with noticeably more force than before.

Anna jumped up abruptly and opened the door. "Hi James," she said leaning against the doorframe with a huge grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Good evening, Anna." He answered politely, smiling back though not quite as enthusiastically. "I thought I heard someone else. Is Lily in here?"

Anna's smile faded only slightly. Lily wasn't going to be too happy about this. "She's in the bathroom, she'll be out shortly. Would you like to come in?"

James nodded courteously, and let himself in. The room was extremely plain compared to Kate's and the other girls' dormitories he had been in. Apart from the pile of books on the bookshelf, and a neatly folded stack of clothing in the corner, there was nothing else he could see.

"So Anna, tell me something." he said quietly with a bemused expression. "I heard Lily hated us Marauders, now why exactly is that?"

He was genuinely curious, but not a bit offended.

Anna looked towards the bathroom door, then back at James shrugging her shoulders. "But that's just Lily!! I have nothing against you guys at all!!" she assured, before James smiled once more.

The bathroom door swung open.

"It's late Potter, you might not want to sleep but I'm tired." Lily scoffed, pushing her black glasses higher up the bridge of her nose.

James's smile never left his face. "And good evening to you too, _Evans." _He put direct emphasis on her last name, making Lily somewhat uncomfortable with the sound. He'd always called her _Lily_. "I came to ask you if you wanted to come flying with me."

Lily sighed. She walked towards James, who was still grinning, grabbed his arm, opened the door and pushed him out before she closed it behind him, locking it in the process.

2 seconds later, she heard a quiet _Alohomora _being muttered, and by the time she had turned around, James Potter was in the room once again.

"That wasn't too polite of you. I _am _your guest for this evening."

Lily stared back at him in disbelief. "You can't be a _guest _if you weren't invited in the first place."

"That isn't exactly true, your friend Anna gladly invited me in," he said turning to face Anna who nodded in agreement, then shot Lily an apologetic look. "And besides, you agreed to go out with me this morning. Have your forgotten already?"

_How could she have forgotten? _She thought to herself.

"I said I'd give us a _chance _to _get to know _each other, Potter! Not go on a _date _with you!"

James's smile assured Lily that no matter how hard she tried, she could be truly irritated at him tonight.

"How is that any different?" James said walking towards her. "But if it makes thatmuch of a difference to you, then fine. Let's go and get to know each other."

The next thing she knew, a warm hand enclosed itself around hers dragging her forcefully out the door. "Potter! Let _go _of me!"

He didn't respond, only smiling even wider.

"JAMES POTTER! Did you hear me? I said let go of me!! Anna - stop him!" Lily turned around pleadingly to look at her friend, who seemed to be enjoying the show just as much as James was. "I'm serious,_ Potter_. Let go or I will petrify you!"

James stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Oh, stop being so difficult Lily. I'm not letting you go back, and besides you don't even have your wand." He said before the playful grin reappeared on his features.

Lily looked down at her pocket. He was right. Her wand wasn't there.

By the time she looked up again, they had already walked hand in hand out of the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

The night was much colder than Lily thought. The icy wind caused the hair on her skin to stand up at a 90 degree angle, and sent shivers throughout the rest of her body.

"W-where are you t-taking me!!" she asked, the cold making her much more irritated. "It's f-freezing!!"

James finally let go of her hand, which Lily had hoped to some extent that his strong warm hands would keep holding.

She quickly bent over and crouched down, hugging her knees for warmth, too afraid to look up and face the winter air. She felt something heavy fall onto her shoulders; something which almost instantaneously, stopped her from shaking.

"Here, this'll keep you warm" James said smoothly, appearing not to be cold at all.

Lily looked up at him, surprised. "I'm fine," she lied "You keep it; you'll be cold wearing short sleeves like that."

She reached over her shoulder about to take the jacket off when James grabbed her hand to stop her. "I play Quidditch in the middle of winter Lily. I'm used to the cold." He smiled again before leading her closer to the lake.

Lily was about to protest, but his jacket was so unbelievably warm against her skin that she did not want to be exposed like before to the coldness.

James stopped abruptly at the edge of a lake. On the floor next to him lay a broomstick _Centaur1000 _in metallic letters, shimmering in the moonlight.

"I hope you're not too afraid of heights, Lily." He said playfully, "Otherwise this might be a bit more difficult than I had imagined…"

It took a few seconds before she realized was James was about to do. "Oh No…" Lily practically shrieked, slowly backing away towards the castle. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! There's no way you're dragging me on that thing." She wanted to run back; heights were _definitely_ not her thing. But James's grasp was much too strong.

James looked amused.

Lily frowned, "Do you _enjoy _watching people suffer?" she accused, glaring at him. She rolled her eyes when he didn't respond.

"You're much more interesting than I thought you would be." James laughed at Lily's annoyed expression. He positioned himself directly in front of her, making her copy his stance exactly. "Don't worry," he murmured, assuring her, clutching her hand tighter. "I promise I won't let you fall."

And in one swift movement, the broom zoomed between their legs and lifted them vertically up into the air.

Lily hadn't even comprehended what had happened, before she realized that the patch of grass on which she had standing a second earlier was now 50 feet below her. "POTTER!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS." She yelled, while hugging his waist as tight as she possibly could at the same time.

They must have been 100 feet into the air, and Lily could barely breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut, too afraid to open them. She was unsure of the exact reason why she couldn't move any part of her body.

Was it was the coldness of the air that had managed to freeze her solid, or her adrenaline which seemed to be leading her to believe that moving even an inch would cause her to tumble off the broomstick and fall 150 feet to a certain death, or whether it was simply because right now, not only were her arms wrapped tightly around James Potter, but his warm hands were also intertwined around hers.

She let her head rest against his back, which shielded her completely from the harsh blowing wind.

"Lily…open your eyes…" his voice called out softly. She didn't know how long she had been holding him like this, her head resting so comfortably against him. _Had she fallen asleep? _

Slowly, she obeyed. Her heart almost jumped out of her mouth, as she realized once again just how high up they were. "OH GOD. HELP ME!" she managed to scream before she tightened her grip on James, burying her face against his back once more.

James only laughed at this. "Didn't I promise that I wasn't going to let you fall?" he asked, turning around and tilting Lily's head up. "I bet you've never seen Hogwarts like this before…" he smiled, motioning for her to look down.

Lily swallowed; her heart had never beaten so fast. James wrapped his arm around her shoulder, securing her against him. "Trust me."

Lily breathed.

It was true.

She had never seen Hogwarts like this before. The huge, brightly lit castle in the midst of the field seemed so much smaller than what she was used to seeing. For the first time, she understood what truly breathtaking was. The forbidden forest, not far from the castle was in complete darkness, yet the surrounding lights only enhanced the forest's surrealness. Squinting, Lily could just make out small, faint lights floating up and down on top of the lake.

"They're firedragons" James said smoothly, seeing the questioning look in Lily's eyes. "Sort of similar to fireflies or glow worms, or whatever muggles call them."

"Hey," she said, finally able to breathe properly again. "This… really is _amazing._"

She turned to face him, glowing with excitement. "I've never seen anything like it!"

It was the first time that James had looked at her this closely, and for some reason, Lily's emerald green eyes, defined perfectly by her long lashes were drawing him into her like a spell. Even behind a pair of black, thick-framed glasses, her eyes still glistened and sparkled under the moonlight. "I'm glad you like it", he said, before quickly looking away.

There was an unwritten rule for the marauders. No girl could ever be permitted to make them lose control - in any way at all. Especially not like this.

From the corner of his eyes, James could still see Lily smiling. _Who would've thought Lily Evans could smile like this._

"Do you come here often?" she asked, James taking notice of the sweetness of her voice.

He shrugged. "Sometimes, when I feel like I just need to get away from it all" he replied quietly, still reluctant to look into her eyes. "You know… from the troubles in life…"

Lily raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Like there could be anything bothering _you,_" she said turning to face him while eyeing him suspiciously.

For the briefest second, the playfulness in James' eyes disappeared, and was replaced by pain, an emotion she couldn't quite interpret. Lily blinked.

Whether or not it was a figment of her imagination, she didn't know. For by the time her eyes were open again, James was smiling more mischievously than ever. "Wow you're right Lily!" He laughed, "I've never actually really been bothered by anything!"

Lily rolled her eyes at him. Just when she had begun thinking that perhaps she was wrong about James Potter all along, his cockiness had returned. "I'm tired." Lily said, turning her head away. "I want to go back."

"Well then," James smirked. "You better hold on tight."

Lily felt her heart take a 50 feet plunge downwards along with the _Centaur1000_, before she let out one deafening scream, clinging onto James with her life. And after a mere 5 seconds of stomach-dropping terror, she felt the grass beneath her feet.

"Could you at least _warn _me next time?" she spat angrily, staggering off the broom.

She watched as the corners of James' mouth turned upwards.

"So you want a n_ext _time Lily?" James coaxed, "Are _you _asking _me _out this time?" he continued, obviously amused.

Lily pulled his jacket off and threw it towards him, trying hard not to show the icy chills the wind was causing her. She turned on her heel and walked agitatedly back towards the castle.

James' warm hands grabbed her arms once again. "Thank you..." He said, smiling weakly. "…for giving me a chance, that is."

Lily felt herself being pulled closer towards him, until her face was just inches away from his. A smile crept its way onto her face, as she admired his features once more. His eyes stared deeply into hers.

Even the wind had stopped blowing, making the night as silent as ever. The only sound she could hear was the rapid beating of her heart.

James lifted a hand to her face, softly brushing her cheeks, as if drawing her even closer to him…

It was her mind that acted first.

Lily staggered back in response while James drew his hand away from her immediately. Though his eyes were still gazing unfathomably into hers, sending her into a state of confusion.

"James –", Lily stammered, her heart racing, unable to look away. "Tonight was…" Lily paused as she tried to search for the right word. "…memorable...so... thank you."

James didn't respond, but his smile was enough to tell Lily that perhaps, he felt the same way too.

His hands quickly found hers, as they walked back into the castle.

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**A/N:** **HOW LONG WAS THIS CHAPTER!!** Who here is actually falling for **James' false pretense**?! haha.  
Next chapter will be up hopefully sometime next week!!

_**Love it? Hate it? Simply can't wait for the next chapter? Hope I stop writing because you feel that you're just wasting your time on such a crappy story? Please leave a review and tell me!**_

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Thanks everyone!!


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